Houston, we have lift off! First live DYNASTY League Baseball Online version game launch is perfect game

The launch was as perfect as a Mark Buehrle perfect game and maybe even more exciting to watch and play.

I sent my 2006 Cardinals vs. Jamie’s 2006 Tigers in Game 1 of the 2006 World Series at Comerica Park. OK, these are both our favorite teams so this was like Baseball nirvana for us with the Tigers and Cardinals not having played vs. each other in the World Series since 1968 and 1934.

The missing “League” is now foundBefore we started the game, I was telling Jamie that the “League” in DYNASTY League Baseball has been missing since DYNASTY League Baseball debuted in 1994. By that I mean a really easy way for people to join a league, for Commissioners to run leagues and for people to connect and play vs. each other across long distances and have standings, stats and scores updated in real time without having to export or import any files.

The new draft room will allow you to draft live and show which players have been selected, which players are left in the draft, what your roster currently looks like, how many dollars of your budget you have left to bid on players and which roster slots you still need to fill.

Dan Mintz, Reede Stockton, Jamie and myself have been planning and talking about an Online version for a long time. It really wasn’t until the past two years that the Baseball stars and sun were in perfect alignment to create the opportunity to develop what is a truly cutting edge technological marvel.

Realizing that most DYNASTY League Baseball and Pursue the Pennant fans have never played an Online game the question is “What is this and why do I need it?”

There are three type of ways you will play your opponent:

You vs. another live opponent

You vs. computer manager

Computer manager vs. computer manager

Which type of game you will play depends on you and your opponent.

“Series” allow you to play a series solitaire vs. the computer manager or with a friend from any season in the DYNASTY League Baseball library.

There will be two primary play options:

Greatest Team bracket tournaments

Continuous draft leagues that use the Official DYNASTY League Baseball rulesYou always have time for DYNASTY League Baseball Online

The neat thing is that there is always time to be in a league or tournament no matter how busy you are with work, family and friends. If you find you are getting busy you can always have the computer manager take over and play games for you until you have more time to play the games live.

DYNASTY League Baseball Online runs on Windows or Apple MacintoshHow do I install the Online version and start playing? You don’t install it – it is all ready to go for you.

You start your Internet Explorer, Fire fox or if you are on an Apple Macintosh, your Safari browser, and log on with your user name and password at a new web site being created just for DYNASTY League Baseball Online TBA.

If you are already in a draft league or Greatest tournament the first thing you’ll see is your up to date draft league standings and Greatest Teams tournament results and rankings. If this is your first time logging in you will choose your Greatest team for the Greatest Teams tournaments. You also will be able to select a franchise for a continuous private or public draft league.

So now what after I select my team? Click on the join game link to the game you want to play. That is as easy as it was for me to connect and play Jamie. One click and the first thing you will see on your screen is the outside of the ball park that you are playing in. Click enter and you enter the ball park just as if you had walked into the ball park.

Similar to the Windows version, the next thing you will do is select your starting pitcher. DYNASTY League Baseball Online includes injury and pitcher rest tracking as well as Use rating tracking so you can easily see who is available for the game.

You can see any players player card while you are selecting your pitcher and lineup. You also have the OBP and SLG vs. LH and vs RH breakdowns. Previously I would pull out my Bill James Handbook to look up these stats, but now they are all there. Click on the Magglio Ordonez player card screen below to check it out.

The lineup selection screen now allows you to move players up or down in the lineup.

Next we enter Comerica Park. It is one thing to see screen shots and another to actually see the game interface on screen. One word left my mouth. “WOW!” Joe DiMaggio would call it the Marilyn Monroe screen interface. Gorgeous!

You control your own mouse all of the time – you don’t have to share the mouse even though the game is turn based.

What I absolutely loved were the new tool tips. When you roll over a player rating on screen a tool tip comes up describing the rating.

Want to see a player card? Just move your mouse over the player name and the player pops up for you. The player cards look identical to the player cards in the board game in every respect.

The Cardinals struck first in the 1st when Albert Pujols launched a Justin Verlander pitch to center field for a home run. I flipped when I saw the red target flash in center field where Pujols had just deposited the ball and then watched as Pujols circled the bases.

The screen shot below is from another Pujols HR in a different game, but if you click on it you’ll get the full size image.

The game is far from a static text game and that is one of the first things you will notice. There are all kinds of things flashing and moving during the game that really adds to the enjoyment of playing. Also helps when your team is winning as mine was 2-0.

Worried about a disconnection or crash? Don’t be. Your game is automatically saved and will take you right back to where you left off so a game will never be lost.

Scott Spiezio opened up the top of the 2nd inning with a solo shot to right. Gee that flashing target is cool! Cardinals 3 Tigers 0

For each play result either the pitcher card or hitter card will come up on screen depending on which player card the result is on. The dice roll is shown below the player card and the play results flashes right on the player card. Click below to see a play result on Nate Robertson’s player card:

During the game, you’ll also see the various Situation ratings highlight when they are in effect with a description of the Situation rating. In the screen shot below, the ON rating (rarely allows HR with runners on base) is in effect for Justin Verlander.

Top of the 3rd and Spiezio hits a solo shot to center field to make it 5-0 Cardinals.

Top of the 5th and Spiezio homers to right field for his third HR of the game! Cardinals 6-0

Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter is just dominating until the 8th when Craig Monroe slams a two-run home run to left.

Final score Cardinals 6 Tigers 2

No exporting or importing needed for instant updated stats and standingsNow think of youself playing in a tournament or league where other players are playing and the scores are updated instantly for everyone to see along with the current standings, stats and league leaders. No exporting or importing of files. How cool is that?

Box score and Game Summary are easily accessible during and after the game

Shown below is the final game screen with the Cardinals winning 6-2 over the Tigers. You can click on the screen to see Jason Isrinhausen warming up in the bullpen in the 9th inning – just in case. The bullpen is right on the main game screen and shows you who it warming up and if they are ready.

Well, there you have it – Game 1 of DYNASTY League Baseball Online and there are so many more features still to come! Amazing as the 1969 Mets don’t you think? I sure think so.

There are still some supporting features to add and much more testing. Considering that this is the first game ever played and it went flawlessly, it is a great sign that the release is getting closer…

I have a group of friends who likes to play a 42 game season. Am I locked in to a full 162 with this program or are there shorter seasons that I can play? Also we play the old timers 1955 season etc. Will those teams be avaliable when launched? Thanks

Yes, there will be short seasons and full seasons available. 1957 season is available for both the Board version and Windows version so that season would also potentially be available in the Online version for league play.

The Greatest Teams tournaments will be first so you and your friends can start out competing in a tournament and the 1955 Dodgers are one of the teams in the group of 66 Greatest Teams.

The Greatest Teams bracket tournaments will be the first play option available consisting of the 66 teams listed in a previous post at this MLB.com News blog and includes teams as recent as the 2008 Rays.

Next will be continuous draft leagues using the most recent season. Continuous draft leagues will have a bidding style draft room and use the DYNASTY League Baseball Official League rules found in the rulebook.

After that, there will be additional seasons made available that would match what is already available for the Board and Windows versions. Not sure yet on the play format for past seasons.

Solitaire full season replays would probably be one of the last play formats implemented for DYNASTY League Baseball Online.

The first solitaire format will be Greatest Team bracket tournaments where you will be able to have your own solitaire tournaments. Your performance will be ranked as you progress to different levels in both solitaire and public tournament play.

The other Greatest Team bracket tournament formats will be both Public (open to everyone) and Private (open to your own group of friends).

I have played the original board for years & just downloaded the software package. Testing it out, looks great. We are about to start up our league again & this online version looks pretty good. Is it released yet? If not is there a tentative date yet?

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